£1.3 million damages for sterilised mother

Matthew Cooper,Phil Hazlewood,Pa News
Thursday 25 November 1999 00:00 GMT
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A mother who gave birth to a disabled baby after a sterilisation operation was today awarded £1.3 million damages.

A mother who gave birth to a disabled baby after a sterilisation operation was today awarded £1.3 million damages.

Gail Taylor was awarded the sum, a record pay-out for "wrongful birth", against Shropshire Health Authority after the High Court sitting at Birmingham County Court was told that her autistic ten-year-old son John suffers from asthma and epilepsy.

In a written judgment, Judge Anthony Nicholl said the award took into account loss of earnings during the pregnancy and the cost of looking after John, who is severely mentally and physically handicapped, for the rest of Mrs Taylor's life.

The award also included compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the negligent operation, the judge said.

The judge added: "Mrs Taylor has had to devote her life to the care of John. Her need to do so is a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the failure to sterilise her and the subsequent birth of a severely handicapped son."

Mrs Taylor, 38, of Telford, Shropshire, told the court last month that she became pregnant seven months after the sterilisation was performed at Oswestry and District Hospital in 1987.

Commenting on the award, Mrs Taylor's solicitor, Richard Follis, said: "Gail has suffered dreadful pain and anxiety due to the failed sterilisation and almost died following John's birth.

"The award reflects the great expense she will have to meet in giving adequate care to a lovely boy whose needs are great and whose life must be made comfortable."

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